The spacecraft that China sent to Mars to explore the possibility that life once existed there remains on the red planet after completing its initial mission.
The Zhurong probe concluded its initial 90-day mission on August 15, the China Space Agency said on its website. He added that the stroller is in good condition, with fully charged batteries.
The rover will continue to prowl the region of Mars known as Utopia Planitia, where it landed on May 14. Zhurong has been sending photos and data daily thanks to the Tianwen-1 orbital probe.
After the United States, China is the second country in the world to place a probe on Mars.
Zhurong is 1.85 meters (6 feet) tall, that is, he is considerably smaller than the American Perseverance, who is exploring the red planet with a small helicopter.
NASA estimates that its vehicle will collect its first samples in July and that it will return to Earth in 2031.
At the same time, China is building its own space station, the Tianhe (“Celestial Harmony”) that entered orbit on April 29 and where there are already three astronauts.
Two of the astronauts completed their second spacewalk on Friday. All three must return to Earth in September to be replaced by a new crew.
China had previously launched two experiment space stations. But it has been excluded from the International Space Station at the request of the United States, which suspects the secrecy and military uses of the Chinese program. On the other hand, the North American Congress would have to approve any cooperation between NASA and the Chinese space agency.
China recently brought specimens of lunar soil to Earth, the first time a country has done so since the 1970s. In addition, he has launched a scout ship on the darkest side of the Moon.
The first time China put an astronaut into orbit was in 2003, when it became only the third country to do so.
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